Week Four

And so we come to the last week of the yoga programme. By now you'll be feeling more supple, perhaps stronger in the body and more relaxed in the mind. Don't worry if not, yoga is called a 'practice' because you need to regularly repeat the exercises before certain benefits are realised, particularly in the mind and for relaxation. Many of us find it hard to relax, and trying hard will never get you there! This week we focus more on relaxation and calming practices and we will embark on a long, deep relaxation.

Breathing

This week we will look at Alternate Nostril Breathing. By now you'll be comfortable with breathing in and out of both nostrils. We can control our breath through one or alternate nostrils to manipulate our energies, for example using only the left nostril can help us to relax and fall asleep. Right click on the image to download a handout with more information. There are three levels of alternate nostril breathing for you to try. Level 1 introduces you to an equal ratio of in and out, level two uses a longer exhale and level three includes a breath-hold. Right click on each icon, select 'save target as' to download the audio file.

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3 - includes a breath-hold

Core - develop a stronger back

Audio

The core exercises you've tried so far target the muscles around the abdomen, which in turn will stabilise the torso including the lower back. Developing strength in the muscles of the back will support this practice. Most of us have lower back weakness because we spend a lot of time sitting, often in a bad posture. With regular practice these exercises create greater flexibility in the spine and build up the erector spinae muscles. If you have problems with back pain I recommend yoga for healthy backs, a book and lesson programme which is widely available in the UK. Right click on the icon, select 'save target as' to download the audio only.

Restorative cool-down

Audio

You can do these exercises on a mat, hard-mattress bed or lounger as I'm doing in the video. If you use a yoga mat, then you may wish to put an extra blanket underneath or double-up on thickness to make a soft base for the spine. Stay in the final relaxation pose, known as corpse pose (Savasana) for as long as feels comfortable. You may wish to go directly into the deep relaxation below. Right click the icon, select 'save target as' to download the audio file.

Relaxation

This week we will descend deep into relaxation through mindfulness of the body. The technique we'll use is a 20 minute yoga nidra, known as yoga sleep. The intention is not to sleep, so try to do this exercise on the floor rather than in bed. You remain conscious by moving your attention around the body, as guided by the speaker, and focus on the breath. Ideally your mind will become quiet, the body relaxed and at the end of the exercise you'll 'wake' feeling refreshed. You can bring a deeper meaning to this practice by setting yourself an intention at the start, and revisiting it at the end. For example 'I choose to live in peace', 'I flow through life like water', 'I relax and accept what is', 'I am grateful for what I am and have'. Right click on the image, select 'save target as' to download the audio file.

Mind

Most of us have experienced stress at some point in our lives. In our culture stress is a part of daily life, and does not necessarily need to be negative. A certain amount of pressure can be motivating. A problem occurs when this 'daily stress' is adding to unresolved issues, negative thinking and poor sleep. Unfortunately a vicious circle develops where we wake unrefreshed from sleep, even from 8 hours of rest, and continue to spiral deeper into negative thinking and emotions. The reason our sleep suffers is that our dreaming state - 'REM' sleep - has to work overtime to process subconscious (chimp) arousal from the daytime. It means we get less rest during the night and therefore feel tired upon waking. The solution is to deeply relax the body and mind before sleeping to reduce the amount of stress in our container. This week's exercises will help to achieve this. Other techniques to try include hypnosis, meditation and massage. Avoid stimulating the mind within your last waking hour, for example turn off the tv, read a pleasurable novel rather than the newspaper or non-fiction. Keeping a journal may also help to process thoughts consciously before turning off the light.

Exercise

You probably don't need me to tell you that scuba diving requires strength at times, unless you're lucky enough to have someone carry your gear! Muscle strength and endurance is also important for finning, and stability in the core (abdomen, pelvic floor and lower back) helps to keep our position stable in the water. Freedivers draw on muscle strength much more because they're either making distance in the pool or counteracting the effects of buoyancy at the top and bottom of their dives.

Yoga builds strength in the body using our own weight, holding poses for several breaths and through movement. All weight bearing exercise is beneficial because it strengthens the bones to prevent osteoporosis. Because yoga exercises can be done almost anywhere, this form of training is particularly portable. You can add hand-held weights for additional resistance.Weight-training requires either a gym membership or a well-stocked garage. For flutter kick finning, it is necessary to build strength in the thighs, buttocks and calves. You can use the leg press, leg extension, hamstring curl and calf raise machines if available. For those using the frog kick or breast-stroke freedivers then the adductors on the inside of the thighs need attention.Monofin freedivers will benefit from all the above muscles being in shape, and will also want strength in the lower back and abdominals to transmit the undulatory movement from the chest into the lower legs. At the gym you can use a back extension machine or Roman chair for strengthening the lower back. Abdominals can be strengthened using crunches, although be aware that its mainly the superficial muscle that is targeted (your six pack - rectus abdominis). Yoga and pilates provide a deeper practice for the core stabilisers (obliques and transverse abdominis).For the upper body, strength helps in lifting heavy equipment and pulling ourselves into a boat or up a ladder. Work your way around machines focusing on the biceps and triceps, latissimus dorsi (pull down), pectorals (chest press) and deltoids.Freedivers need strength in the triceps and lats to keep arms overhead during dives. Arm strength comes to the fore in the breast-stroke (no fins) discipline where pectorals, lats, trapezius, rhomboids and triceps are well-used.

Nutrition

Iron is needed for haemoglobin to transport oxygen around the body in the blood. A slight deficiency can lead to anaemia and fatigue, and a very low iron intake may negatively affect the organs. You can also take too much iron if your diet is rich in natural sources and you take supplements, so assess your diet before you decide what you need. The recommended daily intake varies from 8 -18mg, higher for women during and after menstruation. Freedivers should take a keen interest in their iron levels as blood oxygen transport is a key to success.Foods rich in iron include shellfish, liver, squash, pumpkin seeds, nuts, beef and lamb, bean, pulses and wholegrains, dark chocolate, spinach and other leafy greens. Iron is more easily absorbed from meat products, however plant-based iron can be more easily regulated so helps to protect from the toxic effects of over-consumption. Adding vitamin C to your iron intake helps with plant-based iron uptake, for example squeezing lemon juice over spinach, or try the juice recipe below.

Recipe

Most of us think of popeye and spinach for iron. Making juices with spinach, kale or watercress, mixed with orange juice, can be very nutritious but generally taste unpleasant. Here is a sweet alternative;175g strawberries50g blackberries1 appleYou can also try mango, pineapple, passionfruit, blackcurrants, tangerine or raspberry and add some mint for extra flavour.

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